OLA — The Two Rivers Gators gave up an eight-point lead and eventually survived the Paris Eagles 39-37 Thursday night in a 3A-4 Conference match-up inside Gators Gym.

The Gators (11-7, 6-3) barely escaped overtime after they allowed the Eagles (7-12, 4-6) to pull within two and the shot that would have tied the game for Paris went in and out of the basket as the buzzer sounded.

“It shows a lot when you think you don’t play well and you still come out with a win,” Two Rivers boys head coach Brad Harrison said. “We had chances, we think, to pull away and we never did. Paris outplayed us tonight. They came out and gave us everything we wanted. Luckily that shot at the end didn’t go in.”

The Gators were 7-of-16 at the free-throw line in the first half and after outscoring the Eagles 11-3 in the first quarter, were manhandled 16-9 in the second quarter and clung to a 20-19 at halftime. Accurate shooting from the foul line could have negated the nail-biter altogether.

“That’s not being focused,” Harrison said. “When we are focused we knock those free throws back. We were a step slow tonight. It just didn’t seem like everything was jelling tonight. We were letting the action come to us, and it seemed like when we went to the free-throw line we relaxed when we shouldn’t have.”

Gary Morrison put in a commanding performance, scoring 17 points and leading the team to the league victory. He had a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Morrison opened the scoring in the third quarter to give Two Rivers a 22-19 advantage. Paris closed the gap and tied the game with an old-fashioned three-point play, and nabbed the lead a few moments later with a jumper to make it 24-22.

Morrison responded with a jump shot, a 3-pointer and several free throws to help keep Two Rivers one stride ahead.

Russellville (4-16, 1-6 River Valley Conference) trailed 6-4 after the first quarter, but rallied and led 11-9 at halftime. LRC led 17-15 after the third period, but RJHS East outscored it 14-8 in the fourth to claim the victory.

“We a good job defensively on their shootier tonight and that was the difference in the game along with a decisive rebound margin,” Dardanelle head coach Kenneth McCoy said. “We had 35 rebounds to Waldron’s 16. Another big factor in the game was some key free-throws by BreAnna Hauff, Stefanie Traigle and Amy Duncan. Rusti Tharp hit a big 3-pointer with less than five seconds to play to seal the victory.”

Dardanelle will host Pottsville on Thursday.

Waldron SB 66, Dardanelle 55

WALDRON — The Sand Lizards gave up a 66-55 conference road game Thursday night.

“My boys played with great effort tonight even though we came up a bit short,” Dardanelle head coach Russell Sturdivant said.

The Sand Lizards (10-9, 4-6 4A-4 Conference) tied the Bulldogs 15-15 after the first quarter and only trailed 32-31 at the half. Waldron led 49-41 after three.

“We had a hard time guarding their post,” Sturdivant said. “That seated a couple of our players with foul trouble. We tied the game up twice in the fourth quarter, but we weren’t able toget over that hump and take the lead. We made a couple of mistakes in that stretch in the fourth that you can’t make and expect to beat good teams.”

The Apaches (18-4, 9-1 4A-4 Conference) led 15-13 after the first quarter, 28-26 at halftime and 40-36 after the third period.

“We are going to have to rebound better if we are going to accomplish all our goals as a team this year,” Pottsville head coach Shane Thurman said. “Subiaco is a tough place to play and we were lucky to get out of there with a win.”

OZARK — The Pottsville Junior Lady Apaches won a close 4A-4 Conference game 33-30 over the Ozark Junior Lady Hillbillies.

Pottsville (15-3, 4-1) trailed 11-7 in the first quarter, but regained the lead, 17-15, at the half. Ozark was back on top 24-21 after the third period. But Bailey Floyd converted to tough baseline drives for scores that led the Junior Lady Apaches to a 12-point quarter and held the Junior Lady Hillbillies to six.

Pottsville will host Dardanelle at George Jones Gymnasium on Monday. Games will begin at 4:30 p.m.

Pottsville JB 38, Subiaco 22

SUBIACO — “This was a good defensive game for us,” Pottsville head coach Garrett Hill said. “The guys did a good job of staying in front of their man on defense and making them take tough shots. It was a good win for us because Subiaco always plays really well at home.”

Danville (9-10, 3-6) led 12-10 after the first quarter and 24-21 at the half. Danville had balanced scoring thoughout the lineup. Jay Trusty led with 20 points, followed by Kevin Dominguez with 13, McKenzie Garner added 12 points and 15 rebounds and Tanner Mantooth added 11.

“The junior high game was a big win for our kids,” Lady Red Devils coach Craig Pinion said. “We want our program and our kids to get to the point where they expect to win everytime they step on the floor and getting a win over a team like Charleston is just another step in that process. We have been playing much better defense lately and these girls are a lot of fun to watch. They are athletic and flying all over the floor. We seem to be playing some of our best basketball the last few games and it’s at the right time of the year.”

Atkins’ junior girls led 5-4 after the first quarter, trailed 11-9 at the half and took a 14-12 advantage after the third before outscoring Charleston 8-5 in the fourth to secure the victory. Leading scorers for AJHS: Shelby Davis 11 points, Kaylen Martin 7, Brailey Mize 3, Lexie Rehm 1.

“The Senior High girls showed a great deal of courage, determination and fight,” Pinion said. “We had a miserable first quarter and the kids could have packed it in, but they fought in away that has been missing the past few weeks. I am so pleased with their efforts.”

The Lady Red Devils were dominated 22-1 in the first quarter, but outscored the Lady Tigers 18-11 in the second for a 34-19 score going into the half.

“We cut the lead to eight twice late in the game, but we just don’t have enough experience in situations like this to complete the job.”

Hector SB 51, Bigelow 42

BIGELOW — The Hector Wildcats beat the Bigelow Panthers in 2A-4-East action Thursday night. The Wildcast led 13-10 after the first quarter, 26-15 at halftime and 37-30 after three.

COAL HILL — The Lady Rebels outscored Union Christian Academy 12-2 in the second quarter and went on to win 53-44 in 2A-4 West Conference girls basketball Thursday. Westside led 15-13 after the first period, 27-15 at halftime and 41-36 after the third.